The 16th of October signifies World Spine Day which means it is time to raise awareness of spinal disorders. This year the theme is “Your Back in Action” and there are plenty of events going on around the world to highlight why exercise is important.
Back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal conditions, it is said that approximately 75% of people will be affected by back pain at some stage of their life. Sadly it is common for the pain to become chronic and difficult to manage. The complexity of psychological factors, health beliefs, cultural variance and back pain misnomers can result in people seeking unhelpful treatments or even dangerous remedies. For those reasons it is even more important that we get the right message out there and with social movements such as World Spine Day it is possible. As physiotherapists we need to get the importance of exercise out there, this is why we need to take part!
Key Back Pain Tips (With Evidence, Click the Links!)
- Scans aren’t always the answer. They might make you more confused or attribute the pain to your normal anatomy.
- Bed rest isn’t the cure, gradually getting back to normal activites is.
- Bending and lifting are good for you (technique needs to be upheld!).
- Exercise is king, in terms of prevention and treatment.
- Paracetamol will most likely not help you, the evidence is poor.
- Surgery is usually not recommended for the common causes of back pain.
- Good sleep is essential it will help boost your mood and give you energy.
- The spine is complex, sometimes we don’t know what causes your pain.
If you want to learn more about back pain make sure you check out the brilliant resources on Physiopedia. A great example is the Back Pain Programme.
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